Sign character



E.HOLMES.

` SIGN CHARACTER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1919.

1 ,349,670, Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

UNITED STATES EDWARD HOLMES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SIGN CHARACTER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application led February 12, 1919. Serial No. 276,673.

fo all fui/wm it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD HoLMEs, acitizen of the United States,.residing in the city of St. Louis andState of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improve mentsinSign Characters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in sign characters and moreparticularly to characters adapted to be aliixed to window or similarglass surfaces.

The object of my invention is to provide a sign character which isadapted to be molded from a suitableplastic material and so constructedthat the sized surface of the character when adhering to a glass surfacemay be protected from moisture, when desired, by means of a sealingagent to prevent the sized surface from losing its adhering qualities tothe glass.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction hereinafter fully described andfinally pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification wherein like characters of reference denote similar partsthroughout the several views Figure 1 is a front elevation of a signcharacter constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2, is a view looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing the character applied to aglass body.

Fig. 4, is a sectional view on line X-X of Fig. l, of the character Kapplied to a glass body.` l

Referring to the drawings, the reference character l designates asuitable window or door glass.

I have illustrated in the drawings but a single character and that beingthe letter. L( K.

The character is formed or molded preferably from a suitable plasticmaterial, which may, if desired, have adhering quali tics but may bemade from putty or clay and burnt, if desired.

I-Ieretofore characters of the type similar to that shown have been madefrom copper but I nd a plastic compositionequally as satisfactory andmuch cheaper to make.

The characters, which are preferably of the Sunken or hollow type, maypreferably have their beveled sunken surfaces provided with a varnishgold bronze, or the likc,`and completely encircledwith a sizing surface2 as clearly shown in Fig. l.

The sizing surface 2 is located a` suitable distance above the displaysurface of the border flange 3 of the character', andthe sizing surfacemay or may not be provided with a felt orother absorbent covering fi inthe form of the outline of the character to which it is applied.` Theborder flange provides a pocket 5 between a glass surface and thedisplay surface of the border flange 3 when the character is applied toa glass surface. as shown in Fig. It will be observed that the lsizingsurface 2 is not in the same planewith the auxiliary surface of the bor`der flange 3 thus forming the depressed border flange. The pocketsurrounds the letter or character for the reception of a sealing agent6, suchfor instance as a heavy paint, or putty, as clearly shown in Fig.91:.` Itis manifestthat the covering 4; may be of one color and thesealing agent of another color where it is desired to have two coloredoutlines of the character. To affix the letter or character to a glasssurface the contact surface of the character is provided with a suitablesize which when set will firmly hold the character in position upon theglass surface. The rear corner of the border flange is beveled, as at 7,to renden it neat in appearance "when looking at the letter from anangle through a window.

It' will `here be observed that the sealing agent 6, after the characterhas been applied y i hering qualities, as is manifest.

It may here be stated that when the characters are made from a plasticmaterial having adhering qualities that the characters may be dampenedand applied to the glass with a very thin coat of sizing. In this instance the covering fi is not necessarily used.

AWhen the characters are used for signs which are frequently changed orremoved, it is not necessary to use the sealing agent 6, as the.adhering qualities of the size applied to the characters will hold themin position with the assistance of the air pocket formed between theglass and the character Within the sized surface of each character. Thecharacters are in thisY instance easily removed from the glass surface,when desired.

The many advantages of a character of VtheA class described will readilysuggest themselves to sign painters, and all those vskilled inthe art towhich it appertains.

vas may yfairly fall within the scope of the appended claims when fairlyconstrued.

WVhat I claim is lfA'sign character having a size receiving surface'`for adhering the character to glass,la`nd a depressed border flange forthe character adapted to forma pocket between the flange and the glasswhen the character is applied to a glass surface.

2. A sign character having a size receiving surface for adhering thecharacter to glass, a depressed border flange for the character adaptedto form a pocketV between the flange and the glass when the character isapplied to a glass surface, and a sealing agent for said pocket.

3. A sign Vcharacter having border flange, a size receiving surfaceformed upon the front face of the character in front of the front face'offvsaid flange, said flange adapted to form a pocket between itself anda glass window when the character is applied thereto, and a sealingagent for said pocket.

4t. Plastic sign characters having a size receiving surface formedaround the. outline of the character, a depressed border flangeextending beyond the outer edge of the sized surface, and each characterhaving a recessed portion to provide an air pocket between the glass andthe body of the character.

5. Plastic sign characters having a size receiving surface formed aroundthe outline of the character, a depressed border llange extending beyondthe outer edge of the sized surface, each character having a recessedportion to provide an air pocket between the glass and the body of thecharacter, and a sealing agent for protecting the sized surface of eachcharacter.

6. A sign character of the sunken type comprising a body having a sizereceiving surface encircling the face of the character adapted to engagea glass surface and adhere thereto, a border flange for the characterextending beyond the boundaries of the size receiving surface, the frontface of which is arranged below the size receiving surface to form apocket around the character adapted to receive a sealing agent to keepmoisture from being attracted to the size receiving surface.

7. A sign character having a front surface in the form of an outline ofthe character, an absorbent material applied to the front outlinesurface of the character, a depressed border lange extending beyond theoutline of the character adapted to forni a channel around the characterwhen applied to a glass surface by means of sizing applied to theabsorbent material, and a sealing agent applied in the channel aroundthe character to protect the sized surfaces of the character fromattracting moisture and falling off of the glass surface.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thespecification.

EDVJARD HOLMES.

